Musical instrument stand

ABSTRACT

An easily disassembled, rugged stand for supporting musical instruments does not require moving parts, hinges, or screws. The stand is made of two similar interlocking supports, a cap and a removable, flexible strap. The supports are adapted to be fastened together and contain the cap when the stand is disassembled. Further, the flexible strap may be fastened to the supports and used as a handle. When the stand is assembled, the supports are further stabilized by the cap, and the flexible strap may be attached to the cap and used to hold, for example the neck of a guitar.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to stands for supporting musical instruments, and more specifically, a stand that is robust and easily both assembled and disassembled, without any requirement for moving parts, hinges, or screws. The stand is made of two similar interlocking supports, a cap and a removable, flexible strap. The supports are adapted to be fastened together and contain the cap when the stand is disassembled, and the flexible strap may be fastened to the support pieces and used as a handle. When the stand is assembled, the instrument sits on an upper surface of the base of each support, the cap supports the neck of the instrument, and the flexible strap fastens the neck of the instrument to the cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There are any number of known designs for stands to hold musical instruments that, if handled gently, will provide useful service for many years.

[0003] For example, see U.S. Pat. No. Des. 353,729 issued to MacOwan Dec. 27, 1994. The illustrations show a beautiful turned-wood support seated on a fixed tripod and having a top piece adapted to hold the neck of an instrument. This stand is not designed for travel.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,137 issued to Sheehan Jun. 5, 1973 relates to a stand for detachable supporting an acoustic guitar in a not-quite-vertical position. Again, the illustrations show a decorative support that is probably not adapted for travel.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,735 issued to Liao Apr. 28, 1998 discloses a folding guitar stand that includes a top member, two legs pivotably connected to the bottom side of the top member, two connecting rods pivotably connected to the legs for supporting a guitar, and two foot members respectively fixed to the legs at the bottom, with each foot member having two balance rods being pivotable in opposite directions for supporting the stand on the ground. This stand is designed to be assembled and disassembled, with multiple moving parts.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,406 issued to Park Nov. 27, 2001 relates to a foldable guitar stand having two hinged rest frames, two back support arms, two tilt prevention feet, and two stoppers. This stand is primarily designed to display an instrument in a shop, rather than for use in travel.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,405 issued to Yu Nov. 27, 2001 relates to a guitar stand with a tripod stand, a telescoping pipe, a T-joint and various holders for different devices.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,706 issued to Sammons Nov. 13, 2001 relates to multipurpose entertainer stand that has a tripod support, a telescoping mast, and various holders for devices, all telescoping and pivotally adjustable, as well as a holder for an instrument.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,121 issued to Reid Jan. 18, 2000 relates to a stand with hinged sides that fold up to support an instrument.

[0010] As a practical matter, these stands must be assembled, disassembled, and transported on a nearly daily basis, often at night, after a hard day's work, possibly in the dark. As a result, all of the currently commercially available stands have an unrepaired service lifetime of about six months in the hands of a working musician.

[0011] Various other types of display stands are known, but have not, to the inventors' knowledge, been adapted to the uses of musicians. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,784, issued to Blahout Jul. 9, 1991, discloses a display stand having bendable, tubular joints.

[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,437 issued to H. O. Hansen Nov. 1, 1966 relates to a display holder that relies on interlocking slot fasteners.

[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,955 issued to Hind Jul. 20, 1971, relates to a book holder that has interlocking supports and a cap.

[0014] There exists a need for a rugged, dependable instrument stand that is simple to assemble and disassemble, easily transported, that does not require the use of moving parts, hinges, screws, or telescoping pieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention relates to an instrument stand that is robust, and easily assembled and disassembled. More specifically, it relates to a stand for a musical instrument comprising two interlocking supports and a cap. The supports are further adapted to be fastened together in a mirror-image manner, and also to contain the cap for transport. One or both of the supports is further adapted to be releasably fastened to a removable handle. The interlocking supports are substantially planar, and one or both of them preferably has a recess to accommodate the cap when the supports are fastened together. When the supports are disassembled and fastened together, the handle may be fastened to the supports and used to transport the stand. The cap also is adapted to be releasably fastened to both the support(s) and the removable handle. When the stand is assembled, the handle may be fastened to the cap, and used to secure the instrument. This invention was originally made for use with both acoustic and electric guitars. Although a single-guitar stand is illustrated for simplicity in the drawings, the present invention is readily adapted to hold two instruments. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is generally applicable to musical instruments, including smaller and larger stringed instruments as well as other types of instruments.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the stand is preferably made of heavy duty, foam injected plastic. A preferred material is resilient enough to avoid marring the surface of an instrument, yet sturdy enough to tolerate the stress of repeated use. Such materials are readily available, and may be produced in a variety of colors, and with surface designs. Further, the invention has considerable visual appeal, and if desired, can be made of visually appealing materials such as, for example, furniture-grade wood or water-clear plastic.

[0017] Any type of releasable fastener could be used for the fasteners or sets of fasteners described herein. Releasable fasteners include hook, elastic, slide and snap fasteners, peelable fasteners, and adhesives. In one embodiment of the present invention, all of the various fasteners or sets of fasteners are preferably peelable fasteners, a readily available example being self-stick Velcro peelable fasteners.

[0018] An advantage of the present invention is that the stand is robust and does not require the use of parts that are likely to break, including telescoping parts, screws, hinges, or metal tubing. Further, the invention is self-contained when disassembled for transport and, depending upon the material of manufacture, does not require any additional protective packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIGS. 1A-D is an exploded of the various parts of the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stand when it is assembled for use

[0021]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stand when it is packed for travel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022]FIG. 1A shows a first support (10) with one or more first releasable fasteners (11 a,11 b), a holder (12) adapted to contain a cap (30)(shown in detail in FIG. 1C), one or more second releasable fasteners (13 a,13 b), and a means for interlocking (14) with a second support (shown in detail in FIG. 1B). In a preferred embodiment, the first support has a pad (15) covering the portion of its surface that will directly support the instrument.

[0023]FIG. 1B shows a second support (20) with the counterpart fasteners (21 a,21 b) to the first releasable fasteners (11 a,11 b) a holder (22) adapted to contain the cap (30), and one or more third releasable fasteners (23 a,23 b) which may be used instead of, or in cooperation with the second releasable fasteners (13 a, 13 b). In a preferred embodiment, the holder (22) is a recess equipped with one or more fourth releasable fasteners (24 a, 24 b), that have their one or more counterparts (34 a, 34 b, shown on FIG. 1C) on the cap (30). In a preferred embodiment, the second support (20) also has a pad (25) covering the surface that will directly support the instrument. The angle of intersection between the areas of the supports (10 and 20) that are covered by the pads (15 and 25) is preferably somewhat less than 90 degrees. This configuration more easily supports the instrument, and also is more stable upon assembly.

[0024]FIG. 1C shows a cap (30) that has two releasable fifth fasteners (31 a,31 b) and conceptually has a first layer (32) that is solid and a second layer (32) cut to fit the shape of the two supports (10 and 20) when they are interlocked. The cap also has the counterpart(s) (34 a, 34 b) to the one or more fourth releasable fasteners (24 a, 24 b) in FIG. 1B.

[0025]FIG. 1D shows a flexible handle (40) with releasable fasteners (41 a,41 b) that are the counterparts to releasable fasteners (13 a,13 b and 23 a,23 b) on the supports (10 and 20).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] How to Assemble the Stand

[0027] The stand assembled for travel has a carry strap and contains the cap. To disassemble, pull off the carry strap. Grasp the top (small part) of each support (one piece in each hand), and separate them by pulling in opposite directions. The cap is stored inside one of the two larger pieces. The cap is preferably releasably fastened inside the second member, which has an opening so that the cap can easily be pushed from its recess. Align the pieces perpendicular to one another, and then align the grooves, sliding the pieces together. Push down until the pieces have formed the base of the instrument stand, so it sits evenly on the ground. When viewed from above, the stand will form an “X” shape. Position the cap on top of the “X” and push firmly. The carry strap can be fastened to the cap, to form a holder around the neck of an instrument.

[0028] How to Disassemble the Stand

[0029] Remove the holding strap and cap from the top of the stand. Turn stand upside down and grasp one support with both hands while pushing the other support away the thumbs. Replace the cap in the storage space, making sure the fasteners connect. Position the supports in a mirror-image fashion so that they touch at the base and form a “V”. Close the pieces together, matching the fasteners. Attach the carry strap to the top (small end). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A stand for a musical instrument comprising two interlocking supports adapted to be fastened together in a mirror-image manner, and also adapted to contain a cap, one or both of the supports further adapted to be releasably fastened to a removable handle. 